People resign for lots of different reasons. Some reasons for resigning might include:
- Being offered another job somewhere else
- Not being happy with the job that you have
- Going on to do fulltime study
- Leaving the country or the state to travel
Give the right amount of notice when quitting
When you want to resign, you have to give your employer the correct amount of notice in advance. 'Giving notice' basically means telling your employer ahead of time that you plan to stop working for them.
The idea is that you will keep working for them for a short period of time before finishing up, so that they are not inconvenienced by your resignation.
If you don't give the right amount of notice before finishing work, you may be penalised - for example, by not being paid all of your unpaid wages.
To make sure that you don't lose money when you resign, you should always give the amount of notice that is specified in your contract. If your contract doesn't specify an amount of notice, then give notice equal to your pay period (e.g. if you are paid fortnightly, give a fortnight's notice).
If you don't give the right amount of notice when you resign, your employer may be allowed to recover the difference of the money they owe you and the time that you should have worked.
Often they can withhold final payments from a worker who is leaving (e.g. any payments due to you because of annual leave that you haven't earned but haven't taken).
If you're not sure how much notice you have to give, get in touch with one of the organisations listed at the bottom of this article - they should be able to help.
Your employer does not have to let you work during the notice period, but they do have to pay you the amount you would normally have been paid in the time for which you gave notice.
Put it in writing
It's a good idea to put your resignation in writing and to keep a copy for yourself so that you can prove you gave the correct amount of notice.
For sample resignation letters, check out our How to write a resignation letter page.
Links
Office of the Victorian Workplace Rights Advocate
Free, independent advice to people about to enter into an individual workplace agreement.
Job Watch
Statewide community legal centre specialising in issues for workers in Victoria.
Australian Industrial Relations Commission
Information about wages and conditions, superannuation, common rule awards and termination of employment.
Australian Council of Trade Unions
To find out which union you may belong to, and for general advice.
